JOSHUA POWELL: (son of Adelia Spencer, the female pastor of New Beginnings Church--she allegedly gave the order to burn Christ Church In Action's building) Joshua had come to realize that what his mother had been doing was criminal and was ready to "blow the whistle" on her and the others with her for what they had done.

He told the arson victims that she regularly ordered vengeful acts on those she considered to be enemies of hers and of her church, and that the church members would carry these out. (They called themselves "God's Mafia.") They were also involved in stealing. In addition, witnesses (including a Meridian Police officer) told about gun possession and use by Adelia Spencer and her followers. Other witnesses told of drug use by members/attendees and the selling of drugs in her church.

Joshua Powell had left in disgust after coming to the full realization that not only was his mother not teaching what the Bible said, but she and her followers were committing criminal acts on a regular basis. He said,

"I'll tell what I know. I'm going to bring her down."

Meanwhile, Joshua's brother, PETER (AMOS) POWELL (who, prior to the arson against Christ's Church In Action (CCIA), tried to kill the pastor of CCIA, Pastor Wade Demers, in front of the pastor's two daughters), said these words:

An interesting thing to note is that Peter Powell had fled the State of Mississippi to Florida with his mother Adelia Spencer and her followers, just months after the arson. (About 250 people left Mississippi almost overnight, after the police had done no real investigation into these people regarding the arson.)

Recently Peter Powell went back and is actually operating a church on 8th Street right there in Meridian, Mississippi. Reports indicate that his mother, Adelia Spencer, came in as a guest preacher on June 14, 2009. I guess attempted murder and arson against a church are not considered serious by the Meridian Police. These people are allowed to escape prosecution and media exposure and then go back to the very same place and flourish. If I lived in Meridian, Mississippi, I certainly wouldn't feel safe.

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*Meridian, MS CAO at the time of the arson and the cover-up by city administration in the years following the arson